BLOGHUNGRY

Almond-Orange-Apricot Crescent Rolls

These breakfast/brunch treats by Rachael Ray are a quick more adult version of the Pilsburry orange or cinnamon rolls that I grew up with on Saturday mornings. They are sweet and tangy with a crisp nutty topping. They're perfect for a lazy weekend breakfast at home.

Almond-Orange-Apricot Crescent Rolls

1 package store bought crescent roll dough (recommended: Pilsbury brand)
1/4 cup apricot preserves or all fruit spread
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1 egg
Splash of water
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/4 cup sliced almonds, 2-ounce sack from baking aisle

Preheat oven to package directions and roll out dough on a nonstick cookie sheet. Cut and separate dough into perforated triangles. Combine the apricot jam or fruit spread and the orange marmalade in a small bowl. Place bowl in microwave and cook on HIGH 15 seconds to loosen the preserves. Beat egg with water to thin it out a little for an egg wash. Use the back of a teaspoon to spread a thin layer of apricot-orange jam across each piece of dough. Roll crescents up, brush with a little egg wash and coat with sesame seeds and almonds. Bake to package directions until deep golden in color. Serve warm.

Vegetable Soup

It's been a busy weekend for Bloghungry and PopMuse. We've gotten through our list of errunds and continued our never-ending search for the perfect couch. Some weekend highlights include happyhour at Icandy, a trip to the new West Elm store in Santa Monica, and finally watching Project Jay. I haven't done much cooking this weekend, but I did make a pot of vegetable soup tonight for dinner. This is a quick recipe for a pot of light veggie soup that will help you clean out your vegetable drawer. Serve with a crusty piece of bread and enjoy.

Vegetable Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrots, peeled and chopped or shredded
1 Idaho potato, diced
1 cup chopped zucchini
1 cup chopped canned tomatoes
6 cups (48oz) vegetable stock
1/2 cup tiny pasta (alphabet, etc.)
1 cup frozen peas
salt and pepper

Heat oil in large heavy pot. Add onion and celery and cook until tender. Stir in carrots and potatoes and toss to coat. Stir in zucchini. Add chopped tomatoes and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat so that soup simmers until the potatoes and carrots are tender about 15 - 20 minutes. Stir in pasta and peas and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Balsamic Glazed Chicken Breast

I wanted something light, flavorful, and gay for last night's Project Runway group dinner. Enter Dan & Steve's Balsamic Glazed Chicken Breast. It was juicy and saturated with a rich red wine/balsamic sauce. The original recipe made 12 chicken breasts, but I cut it back to make 4 servings.

Balsamic Glazed Chicken Breast

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 tablespoons butter
4 (6-ounce) boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2  onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pints cherry tomatoes, quartered
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 cup red wine
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the vegetable oil and butter into a large skillet and place over high heat. Once the butter and oil are bubbling, add the chicken breasts to the skillet 4 at a time. Sear on each side until the chicken is golden, about 1 minute per side. Remove to a large baking dish. Repeat with the remaining breasts and set aside.

Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, toss to combine and then follow with the balsamic vinegar and red wine and season with salt and pepper. Bring up to a bubble then reduce the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Pour the balsamic mixture over the chicken and place the pan in the top half of the oven for 10 minutes, or until the chicken has just cooked through. Remove from the oven, garnish with freshly chopped parsley and set into a prepared chafer.

Winter Minestrone

It's getting a little chilly out and I'm in need of some more vegetables in my diet, so I decided to try a winter minestrone recipe from Everyday Italian. It's warm and hearty and not as complicated as it looks. If you're looking for other ways to keep warm this winter check out grabyourbasket.blogspot.com. It's new, it's crass, and it was inspired by my lewd salute to diet foods last month.

Winter Minestrone

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound Swiss chard, stems trimmed, leaves coarsely chopped
1 russet potato, cubed
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 fresh rosemary sprig
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained, rinsed
2 (14-ounce) cans low-sodium beef broth
1 ounce piece Parmesan cheese rind
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
Salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, pancetta, and garlic. Saute until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the Swiss chard and potato; saute for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and rosemary sprig. Simmer until the chard is wilted and the tomatoes break down, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, blend 3/4 cup of the beans with 1/4 cup of the broth in a processor until almost smooth. Add the pureed bean mixture, remaining broth, and Parmesan cheese rind to the vegetable mixture. Simmer until the potato pieces are tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Stir in the whole beans and parsley. Simmer until the beans are heated through and the soup is thick, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Discard Parmesan rind and rosemary sprig (the leaves will have fallen off of the stem.)

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

Bloghungry's Favorite Quiche

 

 

I've posted quiche recipes before but I tried a new one this weekend for a friend's brunch and it's become my new favorite. This recipe is a happy marriage of Jamie Oliver and Paula Deen. It's light, rich, and packed with cheese, bacon and chives. When making quiche, I always make two at a time because premade pie crusts come in packages of two and there are always leftover ingredients. You may want to double the recipe.   

Bloghungry's Favorite Quiche

 Premade pie crust
5 large eggs 
1 pint cream 
tsp. Salt 
tsp. freshly ground black pepper 
1 handful Sharp Cheddar 
1 handful Swiss 
1 bunch chives, finely chopped 
4oz crumbled goat cheese 
6 slices bacon (cooked until crispy)   

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, beat eggs, cream, chives, salt and pepper together. Fill pie crust with cheddar, swiss, and bacon. Pour egg mixure into pie crust. Sprinkle over the goat cheese. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

      

 

Frozen Berries w/ Hot White Chocolate

After a long and eventless screening of Guess Who last night (most of which was spent deciding how to recast the film to make it watchable), we all deserved a little white chocolate. This recipe from Ina Garten is quick, easy, and has become one of PopMuse's all time favorites. Essentially it's just frozen berries covered with a hot white chocolate ganache. Ina freezes her own berries and insists on using expensive white chocolate instead of chocolate chips, but if you decide to cut corners I'm sure no one would complain.

Frozen Berries w/ Hot White Chocolate

1 1/4 cups heavy cream
8 ounces good white chocolate, chopped
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 16oz bags of frozen mixed berries

Heat the cream in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water until warm to the touch, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water. Add the white chocolate and vanilla and whisk just until the chocolate melts. Heat the mixture until it's again warm to the touch, about 110 degrees.

Place frozen berries in one layer on dessert plates and allow them to sit at room temperature for 8 to 10 minutes to defrost slightly. Pour the hot white chocolate evenly over the frozen berries and serve immediately.

Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes are delicious. Cheese is delicious. For last week's Project Runway dinner, I decided to bring the two together with a mix of ingredients from my fridge. The end result was creamy and cheesy with golden brown cheese crust. I think even Tim Gunn would approve.

Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes

4 cups peeled and diced white potatoes (about 2 pounds)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 pound goat cheese, crumbled
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Combine the potatoes and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a large saucepan. Cover the potatoes with water, bring to a boil and cook over medium heat until fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Drain.
 
Return the potatoes to the saucepan and, over low heat, stir them with a fork or wire whisk for about 2 minutes to dry them. Add the cream, butter, cheese, the white pepper, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix well. Serve hot.

I made mine early and put it in a cassarole dish to reheat and crust with a cheese topping in the oven.

Cake Mix Cookies

This cookie recipe is a modern miracle that my grandmother discovered about 10 years ago. It's a little crazy, but there are no eggs, no butter, and no oil in this recipe. The end result is chewy, flavorful, and low in fat and calories.

Cake Mix Cookies

1 box cake mix (Bloghungry suggests: chocolate or lemon)
8 oz Cool whip
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, mix cake mix with Cool whip until well combined. Form dough into balls and roll in powdered sugar. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completele before removing from pan.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day from Bloghungry. For most of my life this day was an excuse to binge eat cheap chocolates with my single girlfriends. This year I would like to dedicate this post and box of drug store chocolates to PopMuse. Don't work too hard. I'll see you at dinner tonight.

*In the name of true love and fallen boy bands, check out Nilblog's pitch for a new Lance Bass lovestory. Together we can make this dream a reality.

Tassie Cups with Lemon Curd Filling

I have never heard of a "tassie cup" before and can only assume it was originally created by a southern gay boy before making it to Paula Deen's recipe box. A tassie cup is really just a small shell of pastry crust that is filled with deliciousness. These tart mini pies are amazing, but I have to warn you that the process of making 24 mini muffin-sized crusts can be pretty tedious. My mom used to make a similar dessert for her lady friends luncheons, but bought premade shells and filled the with lemon curd from a jar. Hers were more jelly-like and the crusts were pretty tasteless. I urge you not to half-ass your tassie cups.

Tassie Cups with Lemon Curd Filling

Tassie Cups:
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Lemon Curd Filling:
3 large lemons, zested and juiced
1 cup sugar
4 eggs*
1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the Tassie Cups: Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the mixture forms a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 1 hour.

Form the pastry into 24 small balls; press with fingers into the bottom and up the sides of ungreased miniature muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes, until lightly browned.

For the Filling: Place the zest and sugar in a food processor and process until combined. Add the lemon juice and eggs and process until smooth. Slowly add the butter to the mixture, pulsing as you go.

Place the mixture in the top of a double boiler and cook over simmering water for about 5 minutes, until thick.

Remove tassie cups from muffin tins, spoon lemon curd in the center and serve.

Cook's Note: Lemon curd will keep in a jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.